EX encencyclopediayclopedia EXEX encyclopedia EX encyclopedia ELECTROSONIC EXPO ENCYCLOPEDIA CONTENTS 9 Foreword 14 History of EXPOs 16 The EXPO Challenge 18 EXPO 2020 Dubai 22 Electrosonic EXPO Projects 44 Other Projects 70 About Electrosonic 6 7 ELECTROSONIC EXPO ENCYCLOPEDIA FOREWORD rom my first ever attendance, standing in Le Corbusier’s Philips Pavilion at the 1958 EXPO in Brussels, I’ve loved EXPOs. They Fpresent a fantastic opportunity to indulge the creative’s ambition to realise experiences which command the attention of a broad spectrum of visitors. Controversial, educational, stunning, provocative, utterly perplexing - I’ve seen pavilions be all these things, and rightly so. EXPOs are the time to showcase our boldest ideas, confront the issues facing us as a global society and stimulate debate for resolution. The tricky part is conveying these messages to a diverse audience in an entertaining and innovative way. EX Over the last 50 years, Electrosonic has been involved in creating lasting memories for 15 EXPOs, in nine countries, providing AV solutions to over 80 pavilions. We have worked with some of the greatest pavilion teams to bring their aspirations to life, innovating to raise our capabilities in sound and visual experiences to deliver the designers’ dreams, no matter how wild they might initially appear. As with our experience in the entertainment arena, we understand a pavilion’s success is measured in its ability to engage the visitor and offer an experience they have never had before. With technology now playing a central role in all our lives, to capture an audience’s attention and provide an opportunity to demonstrate their role in achieving change requires an ability to rise above the ordinary and dare for something beyond. To achieve the dream, Electrosonic has designed products and solutions which not only brought the designer’s ideas to life and captivated audiences, but paved the way for much of the AV technology we take for granted today. No-one has more knowledge, experience and tenacity to support you in your vision for Dubai 2020 than Electrosonic, and with teams in our offices in the UAE, Europe, North America and Asia, we would love to show you how we can help to make your pavilion one of the great successes for ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’. Robert Simpson, MBE Founding Director 8 9 ELECTROSONIC EXPO ENCYCLOPEDIA Expo2010 - Shanghai, China -V udio isu A al 50+ YEARS IN N NOVATIO OVER 80 PAVILIONS 15 EXPOS 9 COUNTRIES Helping You Create EUROPE ASIA AMERICAS a Lasting Impression, Right from the Start. 10 11 ELECTROSONIC EXPO ENCYCLOPEDIA World EXPOs always feed our hunger to take on challenges and to solve difficult problems. They have become something of a mainstay for us over the years and I have enjoyed working on every one of them. Our success at delivering complex and innovative AV systems to EXPOs has been because our priority has always been to realise the Pavilion or Exhibit designer’s concepts. I am proud to say that few have been able to match our competence over the last 50 years. ROBERT SIMPSON, ‘FOUNDING FATHER’, ELECTROSONIC 12 13 ELECTROSONIC EXPO ENCYCLOPEDIA HISTORY OF EXPOS eginning with the Great Exhibition in London B in 1851, EXPOs have provided a channel for reaching millions of people with a lasting and empowering message of change and innovation. They inform and excite attendees from the host nation and across the world, and offer an entry and understanding to the global community that is as accessible to the public as it is to diplomats and commercial organisations. EXPOs have been hosted by governments across the world, predominantly at sites in Europe, North America and Asia. Whilst the majority of the pavilions and structures are temporary, some elements such as the Eiffel Tower, The Atomium, The Space Needle and the Hanbit-Tap (Tower of Grand Light) made such a lasting impression that they have achieved permanent status on a city’s cultural landscape. A successful pavilion delivers the EXPO theme through unique architectural design, coupled with an exhibition or “show” element which both informs and entertains visitors. The “show” may well make imaginative use of a combination of sound and light, multi-media and interactive techniques, used to realise the design intent. 14 X15 ELECTROSONIC EXPO ENCYCLOPEDIA The EXPO Challenge The challenge is in creating a show that is highly entertaining, so it attracts large numbers of visitors, but balanced with a design that results in a manageable flow of visitors around the attraction to ensure everyone’s experience is of a similarly high standard. How? Using Interesting the queues as part Understanding and relevant of the entertainment the cultural storylines considered experience to build differences in alongside impact anticipation technology uptake Gas Pavilion Layout Allowing Remote Designing participants to interact Monitoring to cater for high with the story to make to ensure audience capacity EXPO ‘90 - Oska, Japan it memorable 100% uptime of experiences exhibits The Gas Pavilion included an incredible interactive show which was entirely automated. This was one of the first instances where large audiences became part of the story and voted with their feet to choose the next step. See page 29 for further details. 16 17 October 2020 - April 2021 Connecting Minds, Creating the Future In today’s highly interconnected world, a renewed vision of progress and development based on shared purpose and commitment is key. While a married human mind, an individual country, or a specific community is both unique and remarkable, it is by working collaboratively that we truly advance. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum VICE PRESIDENT, PRIME MINISTER OF THE UAE & RULER OF DUBAI = 18 19 ELECTROSONIC EXPO ENCYCLOPEDIA ubai is a highly accessible location - no more than an eight-hour flight from two thirds of the world’s population - and Dubai 2020 will be the first October 2020 - April 2021 D to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. With the bid alone reaching The central theme for Dubai 2020 is an estimated 850 million people through social media, it is fair to say that around global partnerships and how this 20th October 2020 will be the date when all eyes turn to Dubai, expecting to see connectivity drives new ideas for long-term some incredible creative visions brought to life. impact. This theme is underpinned by three issues that the organisers believe need to be These factors will drive up visitor numbers but, given the extraordinary addressed in order to bring about positive architecture and entertainment already seen in the region, competition for their change for future generations: attention will be fierce. SUSTAINABILITY OPPORTUNITY MOBILITY 20 21 ELECTROSONIC EXPO ENCYCLOPEDIA at EXPOs EX ince 1967, Electrosonic has been an Whilst the creative requirements might which is why we have adopted an agile S integral part of the teams responsible change, one thing is a constant; there is a approach to delivery and our large for bringing some of the most memorable need for an integrated team that is focused on-staff ensures any last-minute requests or EXPO elements to life – such as ‘Britain in on achieving a shared goal. additions are easily accommodated, this is the World’ in Montreal ‘67 with artist Mario particularly important for EXPOs when the Armegnol, the EEC Pavilion representing all It is fitting that the theme for Dubai 2020 opening day is not one that can be flexible. member states of the EU at New Orleans ’84 supports and drives global partnerships alongside SCARS, the show in the Washington as teamwork has been one of the most State Pavilion at Vancover ’86 with New York important elements driving the success of producers Zaks and Perrier, and the night every EXPO project Electrosonic has been a time show on the lake at Seville ’92 produced part of. We have developed processes that by Resorte Communication. We are also fit easily with those of other contractors proud to have worked with BRC Imagination to ensure that timings can be adhered to Arts, a story planning and experimental and ensure the efficient completion of the design and production agency, on the award- project. We have been in the business for winning ‘Information and Communications’ long enough to know that even the best Information & Communications Pavilion at EXPO 2010 Pavilion, at Shanghai ‘10. made plans do not always run smoothly Shanghai, China. 22 23 ELECTROSONIC EXPO ENCYCLOPEDIA ELECTROSONIC AT EXPOs EXPO 1967 MONTREAL, CANADA Besides some striking architecture, EXPO ‘67 is remembered for spectacular audio-visual shows presented by multi-screen movie and slide projection systems, drawing over 50 million visitors and having a lasting effect on EXPOs to follow. A 16 screen (32 projector) multi image show on arts, produced by John Hedgecoe, in the Great Britain Pavilion at EXPO ‘70 EXPO 1970 OSAKA, JAPAN Section through the EEC Pavilion at EXPO ‘84 showing the Rondovision principle With an average of 350,000 visitors every day, the issue for the exhibitors was to decide how EXPO 1974 EXPO 1984 to make an impact on the visitors. SPOKANE, USA NEW ORLEANS, USA Electrosonic’s most innovative project was Electrosonic created a novel method of UK Pavilion At EXPO ‘74, Electrosonic supported two the development and installation of programming the activities of multiple slide significant exhibitors. First was the very a pioneering projection system in the projectors by recording multiplexed signals For our first EXPO, we invented new lighting popular Australia Pavilion, which featured a EEC Pavilion which enabled a 360-degree on the same magnetic tape that carried the control systems, based on solid state rotating floor that treated visitors to a multi- image projection, from one single projector.